The present invention relates to grippers which are used to correct alignment of and to load electrical terminals into precise tooling, as well as a method used to precisely grip an object.
Currently, many insert-molding applications involve the placement of multiple electrical terminals into a mold cavity with precise insertion into a core slide. This core slide usually forms a portion of molded plug geometry around the electrical terminals. With today""s modem electrical connectors, smaller watertight and even airtight designs are quickly becoming the standard in the automotive and computer industries. The designs, therefore, require tighter tolerances and more precise part-to-part tolerances than before. Current automated assembly and molding processes are not successful in ensuring absolute quality and yield.
It would be beneficial to provide a tool which can grasp and locate electrical terminals in a desired location during precision manufacturing, and improving the quality and yield of a manufactured product.
A gripping apparatus is provided. The gripping apparatus comprises a first finger including a plurality of first sawteeth along a first longitudinal end and a receiving area being located between adjacent sawteeth and a second finger including a plurality of complementary sawteeth juxtaposed from the first sawteeth. One of the first and second fingers being movable relative toward the other of the first and second fingers such that an object to be gripped is positioned in the receiving area by one of the plurality of complementary sawteeth. The object is releasably retained against the receiving area by the second finger.
A method of gripping an object is also provided. The method comprises locating the object between first and second fingers, the first finger including a plurality of first sawteeth along a first longitudinal side, a receiving area being located between adjacent sawteeth and the second finger including a plurality of complementary sawteeth juxtaposed from the first sawteeth; and moving one of the first and second fingers relative toward the other of the first and second fingers, the first and second fingers maneuvering the object between the receiving area and the second finger, the second finger releasably retaining the object against the receiving area.